Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sacramento Ducal - 2008

I had a great time last night, at the Sacramento Ducal Ball. Everyone was so friendly, dressed so elegantly, and just so happy, it's hard to put into words, and since a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are 16,000 words for your enjoyment.

Also, I'm providing a link to my first ever uploaded YouTube video. It is of the "Crowning Moment" of the Sacramento Ducal Ball, 2008. I look forward to hearing your comments.

(NOTE: It really does take several minutes to upload a video. So, if you're thinking of following my example, please be patient).






For any of you who's picture I took last night, but did not post here, send me an e-mail, and I'll send you a coppy.

Coming soon, the pictures I took of Bob and Nathan's wedding!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

But I Can Sleep at Night

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was a wild roller coaster ride today. Down, up, DOWN, then finishing UP 410.03 points. That's a gain of 3.86% for the day. My portfolio of investments, "Wesley's Top Ten", only went up 1.28% for the day, but I'm not upset in the slightest. Want to know why? Continue reading.

Yes, my stocks only went up 1.28% vs. 3.86%, but yesterday, "Bloodbath Monday on a Wednesday", the DJIA went down 4.5%, and my portfolio only went down 3.75%, so I'm still beating the market.

That's the secret of my success I suppose. I don't go up as much, but I don't go down as much either. Investment equanimity. It let's me sleep at night. That and the portfolio's average annual dividend return of 4.11%.

In other news, I'm not going to be able to make it to the Folsom Street Fair this year. I forgot we have our Amateur Night at Club Paradise on the same day. It's open to all performers, the wonderful Chris Davis is letting us use the karaoke system, and we have Shawn, most recently seen in the Stockton Civic Theatre production of "The Full Monty" acting as our DJ. There will be a first, second, and third place prize, and I intend to perform as well. It will be a lot of fun.

I'll go to the Folsom Street Fair next year, and maybe even the Dore Alley Fair (aka "Up Your Alley") July 26, 2009. It'll give me more time to lose the weight I want to so I wont look like a stuffed sausage in my leathers (evil grin).

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Wanted, One Cameraman/woman

I am going have to find someone to serve as my cameraman/woman. I went to club paradise tonight for the karaoke, and the person who said he would come out to video me for my blog (and maybe www.youtube.com) never showed up.

Then, I foolishly asked another of the bar patrons if he would video me, and he said yes. Guess what, he didn't. I can hardly blame him though, he was busy playing pool when my turn to sing came up (literally 3 minutes after I asked him).

So, I need to find a cameraman. I can't pay anything of course, but you'll get the bragging rights and my never ending gratitude. (I can hear you all thinking more or the less the same thing, "BMFD!!!")

Anyone interested? It's not just for karaoke, I also need someone for my upcoming cooking segments as well. You'll get fed for those times. Send an e-mail if you're interested.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Bloodbath Monday!!! (Part 2)

Well, I was right. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 504.48 points today! That's a decline of 4.42%! When will the bleeding stop?!?!?!

Of my "Wesley's Top Ten", they only fell an average of 1.88%, with only Consolidated Edison (ED) rising $0.55 (or 1.26%).

I was able to pick up some more shares of AT&T (T), but the other stocks on my top ten list did not come down far enough for my automatic buy orders to be triggered. Thank goodness for small favors.

So, for those of you who have asked (and no one did) I have about 69% of my investment portfolio in cash and cash equivalents (ie short term T-Bills), 7% in a California Municipal Bond Fund, and the remaining 24% invested in my "Top Ten".

I'm staying away from the rest of the market though. Remember the mantra "WWHGD?"

We Must Fight Back

Now, I'm not much for fighting. By nature and inclination I am a pacifist when it comes to conflict, and my study of Taoism and in particular the Tao Te Ching have given me some excellent tools when it comes to dealing with those who wish me ill and would do me harm, and I'm not about to change now.

This November, California voters will have the chance to show our state is not stuck in the 1950s. Proposition 8 is an attempt to amend the constitution of California that reads "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

The proponents state that they are fighting to defend the sanctity of marriage. I say they're trying to hold onto it as a "Straights Only" club (not unlike the "Humans Only" club mentioned in "Star Trek; The Undiscovered Country"). Religious (Judea-Christian) leaders point to Biblical Scripture, "Man shall not lie with man as with woman, it is an abomination before The Lord" (notice how our Lesbian sisters are not mentioned). Well, the next time one of them quotes this passage, ask them, with all seriousness, if they believe the Bible is the Word of God, and should be interpreted and obeyed as such. After they say yes (and if you phrase it like I did here, they will), ask them if they have any clothes that are not 100% of any particular thread (eg cotton-poly blend, wool-acrylic, etc., etc.) because it says right their in the Bible "thou shalt not wear fabric woven of two different threads, it is an abomination before The Lord" (or anyone with a sense of fashion). It's the same if they have ever eaten pork products or shellfish, a damnable abomination before The Lord". Remind them they cannot pick and choose what holy scripture they will enforce and what they will ignore, and the Highway to Hell is paved with bacon.

Where am I going with this? I mentioned earlier by Taoist beliefs and practices. I have often been heard saying "A single drop of rain won't get anything wet, but a million drops of rain will make a flood". That is what we have to do, all of us little drops of rain, come together in a flood of voters and "Vote NO on Prop. 8". Every vote will count on this come election day, and I don't care if I have to low-crawl naked over shards of broken glass and rusty razor blades, I am voting NO on proposition 8. My vote, or your vote, just might be the last drop of rain needed to burst down the damn of ignorance, sweep away the landscape of hate, and bring "Liberty and Justice for All."

In the meantime, let's here what Margaret Cho has to say on the subject of Gay Marriage.

Peace.

Bloodbath Monday!!!

I've never claimed to be any kind of expert on the stock market, but even a blind Buddhist monk living in a mountain cave in Tibet, 100 miles from the nearest city, let alone the nearest television, could tell you that today is going to be a bloodbath in the financial markets!

With Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy, the "fire sale" of Merril Lynch, and insurance giant (and DJIA component) AIG, the DJIA futures market is down nearly 350 points as I write this, and I thought the worst was over.

Last year, I lost about $6,000 in the market. I was not alone in my loss, and ever since I've been fighting my way back, $1 by $1.

Well, just over a month ago, my boss and I were talking about "The Market", and he asked my what 10 stocks would I buy right now, and what 10 I would not buy. I thought you might like to know as well, so her are "Wesley's Top Ten";

  1. Unilever (UN) - current dividend 4.9%
  2. Pepsico (PEP) - current dividend 2.3%
  3. McDonald's (MCD) - current dividend 2.3%
  4. AT&T (T) - current dividend 5.1 %
  5. Bristol-Meyers (BMY) - current dividend 5.6%
  6. Consolidated Edison (ED) - current dividend 5.4%
  7. Dominion Resources (D) - current dividend 3.7%
  8. Dow Chemical (DOW) - current dividend 4.6%
  9. Toronto Dominion Bank (TD) - current dividend 4.0%
  10. Heinz (HNZ) - current dividend 3.2%

All together, these ten stocks, with an average dividend yield of 4.11% should insulate you from the worst of today's disaster. The rest of my portfolio is in either cash or short term (IE 1 month) T-Bills. Some people say "WWJD?", I say "WWHGD?", and the answer is "Conservative investments with a substantial cash reserve to back up movement and get the stocks of quality companies at a bargain.

Still and all, today it's going to be an ugly bloodbath. Ugly hell! It's going to be a "Fugly bloodbath!"

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Feeling A Little Melancholy (2)

I'm running out of descriptive phrases to use as titles.

That being said, let me add that this is going out to nobody in particular, but sometimes, I get caught up in a feeling of sadness and melancholy, and it's almost like having someone to talk to when I'm writing in my blog.

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again.

Because a vision softly creeping,
left its seeds while I was sleeping,
and the vision that was planted in my brain
still remains within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone.
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
beneath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp.
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light,
that split the night
and touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people,
maybe more.
People talking without speaking.
People hearing without listening.
People writing songs that voices never share.
And no one dared disturb the sound of silence.

"Fools" said I,
"you do not know silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you.
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
and echoed in the wells of silence.


And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon God they had made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
in the words that it was forming.
And the signs said;
'the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls,
and tenement halls,
and whispered in the sounds of silence.


I take no credit for this poem. It was written and performed by Simon and Garfunkle (or is that Garfinkle?). Anyway here is the YouTube link one more time if you want to see and hear a particularly poignant rendition of "The Sound of Silence".